Trouble In Full Supply
by Bluelioness33
Summary: Nancy tackles sabotage at Bayport's newest talent agency while Frank and Joe track down a teddy bear thief. Part of the Supermystery Continuation series
1. Chapter 1

"This was a great idea.", Callie Shaw said, her blue eyes bright with excitement as she looked around the Italian restaurant. "This looks like the perfect place to have lunch." Blue upholstered booths lined the back and side walls and blue patterned tablecloths draped circular tables in the center of the room. A floor to ceiling glass wall contained the restaurant's entrance and looked out onto a central square surrounded by sleek glass and metal buildings.

"It's on me.", her boyfriend Frank Hardy replied. "Consider it a thank you for letting Nancy and Bess stay with you while they go undercover at that talent agency."

"It's nice to have company while Mom and Dad are on their second honeymoon in Vegas. Besides I want to see why you rate Nancy Drew so highly."

"You mean you want to see what makes Frank so attracted to her.", Frank's younger brother Joe said with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

"It's not like that at all.", Callie insisted.

"How's the job going, Callie?", Frank asked, eager to change the subject.

"It's going great.", Callie answered. "Dotty, my boss, is really easy to work for and I've become friends with Ingrid who also works there."

"Is it weird working in a teddy bear and doll store where you don't get kids coming in?", Joe asked.

"It was a little weird at first.", Callie admitted. "But you get used to it. Plus Dotty's enthusiasm for bears is pretty infectious. She's got this really cool collection of antique bears that she keeps on display at the store. I've even been thinking about getting a bear myself."

"I'd like to check out the store once we finish lunch.", Frank said.

After Frank and Joe had split a large pepperoni pizza and Callie had enjoyed a fettuccine Alfredo, they walked across the square to Beary Wonderful. Callie had started a summer job at the store the month before. Both the store and the restaurant were in Ocean Heights, a new development that had opened in Bayport a couple of months before.

"Hey, Dotty", Callie called as they entered the store. The shelves were full of teddy bears, dolls and handcrafted toys. There were whimsical displays in which various bears and dolls appeared to be enjoying summer. There was one in which four teddy bears were at the beach and another showing both dolls and bears having a backyard cookout.

"Hello, Callie dear", a gray-haired older woman answered bustling in from the back of the store. "And this must be your young man."

"Dotty, this is Frank Hardy and his younger brother Joe. Frank, Joe, this is Dotty Baldwin."

"A pleasure to meet you both.", Dotty said. Her hair was permed into tight curls and wire-rimmed spectacles perched on her nose. Her shoes were sensible brown Oxfords.

"I've just brought Frank and Joe in to see the collection, Dotty. Then I'll get back to work.", Callie said.

"Just don't take too long, Callie dear.", Dotty responded.

Callie led the way to the back of the store. There, with the cash register on top, was a glass display case. Inside, displayed on a sky-blue cloth, were fifteen antique teddy bears.

"This one's extra special.", Callie said pointing to a white bear which sat in a slightly elevated position. "Want to tell them about it, Dotty?"

"That's the Happy Birthday bear.', the older woman said. "My parents gave him to me on my tenth birthday. He's the only one and he's over a hundred years old. He was made by the Otto C Bear company for a German princess. He's worth over fifteen thousand dollars."

"You mean that ordinary looking white bear is worth over fifteen thousand dollars!", Frank could hardly believe it.

."The others aren't worth as much but the entire collection is still worth about forty thousand dollars.", Dotty said. "But I'd never part with any of them."

"I hope you keep the display case locked.", Frank said.

"Of course I do.", Dotty responded. "The insurance company insisted on it."

Frank walked around to the side of the case and bent down to examine the lock. It was a small silver padlock, Frank knew that it wasn't very secure. He knew because he and Joe had often been able to pick those type of locks during their past cases. "This isn't the most secure lock you could be using.", He didn't want to frighten the store owner but something had to be said.

"Don't worry", Dotty gave Frank a smile. "I had a spot protection system installed. If anyone opens, breaks or unlocks the door, half of Bayport will be able to hear the alarm. And I never turn it off."

"Does anyone else know how to disable the system?", Joe asked.

"Just me and the people from the security company.", Dotty's smile didn't leave her face. "Oh, that reminds me. We've just had some special stock in. A couple of replica Happy Birthday bears."

Callie's face brightened. "Well, come on then. Let's all take a look."

Dotty left them for a moment. When she returned she was holding a bear that was almost identical to the one in the display case. Without warning, she thrust it into Frank's arms

"What am I supposed to do with it?",Frank asked.

"Just give it a hug.", Callie urged.

Feeling a little foolish, Frank gave the bear a tight squeeze. "Hey, this feels really cuddly.", he said.

" You see", Dotty's excitement practically radiated from her eyes. "Otto C Bears are designed for hugging."

"I've just got to have one.", Callie said

Dotty's happy expression wavered for a second. "Callie dear, this bear costs two hundred and fifty dollars. Are you sure that you want to spend that much on your first bear?"

Callie reached inside her purse and pulled out a twenty dollar bill. "Can I pay for it by working extra hours here?"

"Well, alright", Dotty said. "Since Ingrid's going to Germany to visit her family at the end of the week, I'll need some extra help anyway."

"Then it's settled.", Callie said. Just then an elderly couple entered the store. "I'd better get back to work. Hey, how about we have a little get together at the beach in the State Park."

"Hey, that's a great idea", Joe said. "We'll take care of inviting the other guys. We'll even see if Nancy and Bess can find time off from their undercover work."

###

"I thought that it would be a little cooler by the ocean than back home in River Heights but so far it hasn't seemed like it", Bess Marvin said to Nancy Drew. She took a sip of her iced coffee.

"Not that we've seen that much of the ocean.", Nancy responded.

The two girls were at a table in Bayport Mall's food court. They'd arrived in Bayport the night before after Nancy had received an urgent phone call from Tim Poulter four days ago. He'd not said much during their conversation but had told her he needed her to come to Bayport as soon as possible and pose as a client at his recently opened talent agency. Since Bess was able to come as well it was decided that they would both work undercover

"It was a shame that George couldn't come.",Bess said.

"It couldn't be helped.", Nancy said. "Her parents booked that New England cruise months ago. She wasn't able to change her plans at such short notice."

Just then a man wearing a light gray summer suit rushed up to their table. "Are you Nancy Drew and Bess Marvin?", he asked.

"You must be Tim Poulter.", Nancy took a sip of her soda and studied his face. He had thick black neatly- trimmed hair and intelligent green eyes.

"That's me", he said. "Forgive the unusual meeting place but I can't risk anyone from the office finding out that you're here undercover. You see, I'm sure that the agency is under attack from within."

"What makes you think that?", Nancy asked.

"Let me start at the beginning.", he explained. "It all started about two weeks ago when we got a few things that no one ordered delivered to the office. Pizzas, Chinese food, things like that. I just thought that someone was playing a prank and that they'd get bored and stop."

"But they didn't?", Nancy said.

"Then some of our clients started getting calls saying that if they didn't break ties with us, they'd be sorry."

"Could they tell whether it was a man or a woman?",Nancy asked.

"No, the voice was disguised electronically.", Tim Poulter answered. " Then last week our computer systems were hacked, we couldn't access any of our client files or bookings. Five days ago, a number of staff and clients had their tyres slashed. That's when I decided to call you."

"Have you contacted the police?", Nancy asked.

"No, I haven't. You see, I'm afraid that if I do that we'll get a reputation as a jinxed or unreliable agency. I can't afford that kind of bad publicity."

"So, that's where we come in.",Bess said.

"I've registered you both with the agency.",Tim Poulter explained. "That way, you'll be notified of modelling and commercial work but you won't be under contract."

" That way we'll be able to hang around the office without arousing suspicion.", Bess said. "Who would suspect that two girls from the Midwest who've moved to Bayport hoping to make it big in New York are actually undercover private eyes?"

"Exactly", he gave Bess a smile. " Well I suppose that we'd all better get going. See you back at the agency."

###

Twenty minutes later, Nancy pulled their rental car into a space at the agency's parking lot. She and Bess sat for a few minutes, checking their make-up.

"Well, time to get to work.", Bess said.

The agency was housed in a suite of offices on the second floor of one of Ocean Height's tallest buildings. Nancy gave her name to the receptionist, a young woman with her hair pulled back into a ponytail, and a minute later Tim Poulter rushed out of a nearby office. Almost immediately, Nancy could tell something was wrong.

"Glad you could make it", he said. "Please come into my office."

"What's wrong?", Nancy asked.

Tim's smile never left his face "Just come into the office", he repeated.

Once inside the office, Bess gasped. Written on the wall in blood red were the words:

 **CLOSE DOWN OR DIE!**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys and am making no money off this story.

Thank you for the reviews and the follows and favourites. One point needs to be made about this story, this is in the style of the classic Supermysteries which means that there will be mainly canon pairings and definitely no permanent changes to pairings. In other words this and all other stories in this series will be Frank/ Callie and Nancy/Ned. That is not to say that either one won't have romantic interests in the series. And as ever any comments including constructive criticism are welcomed

For a long moment of silence, Nancy, Bess and Tim Poulter stared at the death threat. Then Tim broke the silence by exclaiming, "You have to find whoever's behind this as soon as possible. Before they do something that gets somebody hurt or worse."

"We'll get right on it.", Nancy said. "Perhaps we should start by meeting the rest of the staff."

"Yes, of course. I'll introduce you to everyone."

The three of them went out into the reception area and Tim headed over to the desk. "Kerry", he said to the receptionist. "I'd like you to meet Nancy Drew and Bess Marvin, they've just registered with the agency. They're from near Chicago and are hoping to make it big in The Big Apple." To Nancy and Bess he said, "This is Kerry Hunt. Our receptionist and general go-fer around here. Sometimes I think that she knows more about what goes on here than I do."

"Pleased to meet you", Kerry said. She had hazel eyes and her ponytail was held together with a pink hair tie with a blue cloth flower.

"The same", said Nancy. It sounded like Kerry had the access and opportunity to commit the sabotage but did she have a motive? She or Bess would have to find out.

"You two will probably get a lot of jobs.", Kerry continued. "You're both pretty plus you both give off that girl next door vibe. A lot of advertisers are looking for that combination."

"I'm just going to take Nancy and Bess round to see everyone. Are Ralph and Helen in?", Tim asked.

"They're both in but Ralph's got a bone to pick with something again. I don't know what set him off this time."

"I'll deal with it after I've shown Nancy and Bess around. I'll take them to meet Helen first, give Ralph some time to cool off."

The three of them crossed the waiting area and stopped at a door with a sign with Helen Irvin written on it. Tim knocked and a warm female voice answered, "Come in".

The door opened and Nancy and Bess found themselves in a light and airy office. Sitting at a desk was a red haired woman wearing a blue dress and an amber necklace.

"Tim, I was just about to call you. Both of the models that we lined up for the Albermarle's job are now unavailable. One's in a cast for six weeks and the other managed to get the flu. We need someone to replace them…", her voice tailed off as she stared at Nancy and Bess. "Please tell me that you two just signed with the agency because both of you fit the brief exactly."

"They have.", Tim answered. "Nancy and Bess, I'd like you to meet Helen Irvin. The woman who's about to land you your first modelling job. Helen, this is Nancy Drew and Bess Marvin. They've come all the way from Illinois to sign with us."

"A pleasure to meet you.", Helen said, extending a hand that had a yellow topaz ring on it. "So you skipped the bright lights of Chicago to sign with us?"

"We just really wanted to make it in New York.", Bess said.

"What's Albermarle's?", Nancy wanted to know.

"A local department store.", Tim explained "They're in the midst of preparations for their holiday ad campaign and they came to us to source two girls for the college age part of the campaign."

"Well that fits us perfectly.", Nancy said.

"Great, I'll book you in for the job and welcome to our little family.", Helen said.

After exiting Helen's office, Tim led the way down a hallway and knocked on another door with a sign reading Ralph Devall on it.

"Enter", a distinguished male voice said.

The three of them entered and the first thing Nancy saw was a man with slicked back hair and a formal black suit sitting at a desk.

"Timothy", he said in a disapproving tone. "Angela's not getting the amount of modelling engagements that she deserves."

"We talked about this, Ralph.", Tim said with a sigh. "Angela just doesn't fit every advertiser's brief and she does have a tendency to alienate those that do hire her."

"Those clients had completely unreasonable requirements.", Ralph protested.

"Ralph, we'll discuss it later.", Tim said firmly. "For now I want you to meet Nancy Drew and Bess Marvin. They're this agency's newest members."

"They're perfect examples of your lowly ambition for this agency, Timothy. Where did you find them? Perhaps it was Hicksville, South Dakota."

"It was just outside Chicago, actually.", Bess said.

"And I wager that both of you were rejected by the respectable agencies in that city.", Ralph responded.

Nancy was shocked. How could this man be so rude?

"Be that as it may, Ralph", Tim broke in. "Nancy and Bess are with us now and I expect them to be treated with respect. Are we clear on that?"

"Crystal", Ralph said, looking at the floor.

Once they were back in Tim's office, he let out a sigh. "I'm sorry you had to see that, girls. But as you can see, Ralph and I have very different ideas on what's best for this agency."

"Who's Angela?", Nancy asked.

"Angela Sheridan.", Tim explained. "She's Ralph's favorite client and my major headache. Those unreasonable requirements Ralph mentioned? They were to show up on time and to not dye her hair bright pink when the client had requested someone with a natural hair color."

"Is there anyone else who might have a grudge against you or a reason to see the agency go out of business?", Nancy asked.

"Well, there's my ex-girlfriend, Cassie Oliver. And also the owner of Top Flight Talent, Malcolm St Germain. When I broke up with Cassie, she took it pretty hard. And Malcolm's been the top dog in this game in Bayport for years. But surely neither of them could have been responsible?"

"Either of them could have an accomplice with the access and knowledge required to commit the sabotage.", Nancy explained. "I can't rule anyone out right now."

"What's your next step?", Tim wanted to know.

"I need to talk to both Angela and Cassie.", Nancy said. "Do you know where I could find them?"

"Angela mostly hangs out at a smoothie bar in Downtown Bayport and Cassie works as a teller in the bank at Bayport Mall. But what are you going to do about Malcolm?"

"I have a couple of friends of friends who might be able to see him without arousing suspicion.", Nancy said. "Don't worry, they're completely trustworthy."

"Good", Tim said. "Well, don't let me keep you."

###

That evening, Frank and Joe stopped by Beary Wonderful. The two of them had arranged to have dinner with Callie, Bess, Nancy and Joe's girlfriend Vanessa Bender.

"It's us", Joe called as they entered the shop.

"Hi", Callie called from where she was putting some toy lions on a shelf.

"Have you heard from Vanessa yet?", Frank asked.

"She's meeting us there.", Callie answered. "She just texted me."

From the back of the store, Dotty shook her head. "I just can't understand how you young people cope with those cell phone things. If I had one, I'm sure all that beeping and buzzing would drive me batty."

"How's your dad?", Callie asked. "Have you two heard anything from him lately?"

"Nope", Joe said. "He's gone completely off the radar. We don't even know what country he's in. It could be Switzerland, Germany or Austria. All we know is that he's investigating an art theft ring."

"Well, I'm almost ready to go.", Callie said. "Just let me get my things and-"

A sudden scream cut her off.

"That sounded like Ingrid!", Callie said.

Frank raced out the back of the shop, Joe right behind him. They raced across the employee parking lot then stopped when they found a brown-haired girl slumped against a small red car unconscious.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Nancy Drew or The Hardy Boys and am making no money off this. Thank you for the reviews and as ever comments including constructive criticism are welcomed.

Both Frank and Joe rushed to the brown-haired girl's side as she began to moan. In a moment her eyes opened, revealing their deep, almost royal blue color.

"Who..are you?", she said faintly.

"Shh, it's okay", Joe said. "Are you Ingrid?"

The girl's eyes narrowed in confusion. "How do you know my name?"

"I'm Frank Hardy and this is my brother, Joe", Frank explained.

"Oh, you're Callie's Frank", Ingrid said.

"Can you tell us what happened?", Joe said.

"I was walking through the parking lot on my way to talk to Dotty about something when this guy grabbed my shoulder. I screamed and he shoved me to the ground. I guess I must have fainted or something because the next thing I remember, you two were here.

Just then, Callie dashed up. "What happened? Are you okay, Ingrid?"

"Callie, why don't you and Ingrid head inside?", Frank suggested. "Joe and I'll take a look and see if we can find anything that can give us a clue as to who that guy was."

Both the brothers searched the parking lot for nearly fifteen minutes, but all they were able to find was a single boot print. Frank stared at the series of hexagons that formed the print, somehow the pattern looked familiar to him, although he couldn't work out exactly why. He took out his phone and snapped a photo of the print. It wasn't the best way of recording it, but he didn't have the proper materials on hand.

When the Hardys got back to the shop, Ingrid was sat in the small back office with a mug of hot chocolate. Callie and Dotty were clustered around her. Ingrid's long brown hair was pulled back from her face with two barrettes and she wore jeans and a T-shirt with a teddy bear on the front.

"Did you find anything?", Callie asked with a concerned tone.

Frank shrugged, "Next to nothing, really. Just a single boot print which the police will probably want to take a look at,"

"I really don't want the police called.", Ingrid said.

"But why?", Joe asked. "Ingrid, you said that guy grabbed and shoved you. He could be a mugger. Other people could be hurt."

"I didn't really see anything.", Ingrid said. "And I may be remembering things wrong. He probably mistook me for someone he knew and when I screamed he may have gotten startled and knocked me to the ground by accident."

Ingrid's explanation could be what happened, Frank thought. But he was going to hang on to the photo of the print, just in case.

"Anyway, I'm going to Germany, to visit my family, in a week.", Ingrid continued. "And the police will want me to stay and look at line-ups or something."

"Your family's German?", Joe asked.

"You're probably thinking that I don't sound that German, right?", Ingrid said with a laugh. "My mom's German but my dad's American. They met when he was in the Air Force and was stationed over there.

"Ingrid's lived all over the country and in England.", Callie said.

"My dad grew up around here so when he retired, he and my mom settled in Bayport. Although, they're in Iowa at the moment visiting my Aunt Nettie."

"Why don't you come to a little get together that we're having?", Callie said. "There'll be good music, good food and probably a few games of Frisbee."

"That sounds great", Ingrid said. "I just graduated from college in another state and before that I was kind of always on the move so I didn't get a chance to make that many friends."

"Oh Ingrid, look what I was lucky enough to get.", Callie said, holding out the bear.

"Where did you get that?", Ingrid asked.

Callie's face brightened, "Right here."

"But I was saving one of those bears for my Aunt Martina.", Ingrid said. "She's a big fan of Otto C Bear because every one is hand stitched. Most companies, even those producing for the collector's market, machine stitch their bears. Her birthday is going to be while I'm there and I promised her an Otto C Bear as a present."

"That is a puzzle", Dotty said. "But I may have a solution, I'll put in a call to Arnold Smythe at Totally Toys over in Ardmore. There may be a replica Happy Birthday bear there. I'll even get Larry to pick it up. That way you won't have to drive over there."

"Ardmore's about an hour away, isn't it?", Callie asked.

"I guess that could work.", Ingrid said, clearly not thrilled at the prospect of having to wait for a bear.

As the Hardys and Callie got into their cars, Frank couldn't shake the feeling that he and Joe should have tried harder to persuade Ingrid to go to the police.

###

Later at the restaurant, after Joe had introduced Vanessa to Nancy and Bess, talk turned to the events of earlier that day.

"Sounds like you've got one tricky case.", Frank said to Nancy. "Need a hand with anything?"

"As a matter of fact, I do need help with something.", Nancy replied. "Could either of you guys pay a visit to Top Flight Talent? Malcolm St Germain, the owner, is one of my suspects and I'd like to establish whether he's in contact with any of my other suspects."

"Joe and I will pay a visit to Mr St Germain and see if we can find out anything.", Frank promised.

"Who are your other suspects?", Joe asked.

"Well, there's my top suspect at the moment, Ralph Devall", Nancy said. "He clearly thinks that he could run the agency better than Tim Poulter and he's got the access and knowledge to commit most of the acts of sabotage that have occurred."

"Anybody else?"

"There's Angela Sheridan, who's a model signed with the agency."

"Angela Sheridan?",Callie echoed.

"Do you know her, Callie?", Frank asked.

"Remember when I took modern dance in middle school?", Callie replied. "Angela Sheridan was in my class."

"What was she like?", Bess asked

"Angela was super competitive and she hated doing the practice needed to actually be good.", Callie said. "She'd rather make one of us who actually practised look bad than put in the effort to be good and let me tell you she was an expert at that."

"So in your opinion, she's a likely suspect?", Nancy said.

"Dirty tricks used to be Angela's speciality.", Callie said.

"She might be working with Ralph or one of the other suspects.",Nancy said. "Talking to Angela just became more important."

"Who else?", Frank wanted to know.

"There's also Kerry Hunt, receptionist and general assistant. She's got the access needed but her motive, if she even has one, is unclear. Of course, someone like Malcolm St Germain could be paying her to carry out the sabotage."

"Are there any more suspects?", Joe asked.

"There's Helen Irvin. She seems friendly and has even managed to land us our first modelling job. Still she could be being paid, bribed or blackmailed by someone to carry out what's been happening. And finally, there's Cassie Oliver. She's Tim Poulter's ex-girlfriend and according to him she took it pretty hard when they broke up."

"A wounded heart can be a powerful motive", Vanessa commented.

"She probably doesn't have the opportunity to carry out the sabotage.", Nancy said. "But she could be working with one of the other suspects. Enough about our case. What have you guys been up to?"

As Frank told Nancy, Bess and Vanessa about what had happened earlier that day. Nancy couldn't help but notice how Joe acted around Vanessa. She'd seen Joe get attracted to many pretty girls but what he had with Vanessa seemed different somehow. More like the real thing. Concerned about how Bess would take this, Nancy turned her attention to her friend. But Bess and Vanessa seemed to have hit it off.

"Ingrid's behavior is strange", Nancy said. "Why didn't she want to go to the police?"

"I thought that myself.", Frank replied. "That reminds me, do you think you could do something with this, Vanessa?" He asked, holding out his phone.

Vanessa took the phone and examined the picture. "I'll do what I can to clean it up but I can't promise miracles."

"Great, could you email it to everyone here when you've finished? Nancy and Bess, could you make sure Vanessa has your email address?"

"Will do", Bess said. "So Vanessa, what do you like to do?"

As Bess and Vanessa chatted about horse riding, Nancy saw a smile of relief cross Joe's face.

###

The next morning, Nancy and Bess were outside the Fruity Fresh Smoothie Bar, looking for Angela Sheridan. "Is that her?", Bess asked, peering through the window.

"It must be", Nancy replied. "Short dark hair, green eyes and a bored expression. Exactly as Tim described."

The girls entered the shop and ordered two Extreme Banana smoothies. As they waited for their drinks, Nancy got a closer look at Angela. The young woman was sat at a table taking a selfie. She was wearing a bright red T-shirt, ripped jeans and way too much gold jewellery.

"Hi", Nancy said, taking a seat at a nearby table.

"Oh, hi", Angela replied in an unimpressed tone.

"My friend and I just moved to Bayport hoping to make it big in New York. Are there lots of modelling jobs here", Nancy asked.

"Well, you made the wrong choice", Angela replied. "This town is a dump, no decent modelling jobs anywhere."

"Is it worth signing with an agency?", Nancy asked.

"The only good one is Top Flight Talent", Angela said.

"What about Bees' Knees Talent?", Nancy asked, mentioning Tim Poulter's agency.

"Bees' Knees are a joke", Angela declared. "If you've got any sense you'll stay away from them."

"Why is that?", Nancy asked.

"Because", Angela announced. "Bees' Knees are about to crash and burn."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or The Hardy Boys and am making no money off of this fic. Thanks for the continued reviews and support. And as always any comments including constructive criticism continue to be welcomed.

Nancy couldn't quite believe her ears. Angela seemed sure that Bees' Knees was going to fail. Was that out of spite or because she was involved in the sabotage?

"Well okay then", she finally said. "We'll keep your advice in mind."

As she took a sip of her smoothie, Nancy watched Angela out of the corner of her eye. The young woman seemed to be sending a text on her phone. Was she in communication with Ralph or any of Nancy's other suspects? And why had she recommended a rival agency to the one that she was signed with? Nancy would have to find out.

After finishing their smoothies, Nancy and Bess drove to the Bayport Mall and pretended to browse at a kiosk opposite the bank where Cassie Oliver worked. Nancy watched for the pretty blonde haired, hazel eyed woman to leave her post.

Eventually Nancy spotted Cassie Oliver walk by them. "Come on!", she whispered urgently to Bess. "We can't afford to lose sight of her."

Nancy and Bess hurried through the mall, keeping Cassie Oliver in sight. After a time, she stopped at the food court and headed for one of the stands.

"You go and grab us a table", Nancy said to Bess. "I'll stay with her."

Nancy got in line, a couple of people behind Cassie Oliver, and watched as her target paid for a Mediterranean Chicken salad and a small latte. When it was Nancy's turn to order, she got a cappuccino and headed for the table where Bess was sitting. Unfortunately, it was quite far from Cassie Oliver's table.

"Sorry", Bess said. "I picked here because you can see a lot of what's going on.

"That's okay", Nancy said. Just then her eye was caught by the person walking up to Cassie Oliver. It was Helen Irvin.

"I wonder what she's doing here", Bess said.

Nancy watched the two women intently, wishing that she could hear what they were saying. The two of them appeared to be chatting like old friends. They didn't appear to be plotting sabotage but Nancy still couldn't rule that out.

As the women continued their conversation, Nancy knew something important. Cassie Oliver had a connection that could help her commit the sabotage.

###

"Do I look the part?", Vanessa asked Joe as she gave her ash blonde hair a final brush.

"You look great, Van.", Joe assured her. "Just like a model."

Joe and Vanessa were outside the offices of Top Flight Talent. Joe had come here to find out what he could about Malcolm St Germain. Vanessa had made an appointment with Top Flight Talent posing as an aspiring model. Joe was there posing as moral support.

"I hope I can pull this off,", Vanessa said. "Nancy's counting on us."

"You'll do fine", Joe said. "You're nervous but they'll think that's because you're worried about getting a contract."

The two teens walked into the reception area of the agency. It was sleek and professional looking. Large copies of the ads the agency's clients had appeared in hung on the wall and tan leather and steel benches lined the large, brightly lit space.

"My name is Vanessa Bender. I have an appointment with Malcolm St Germain.", Vanessa said to the receptionist, an efficient looking woman with blonde hair pulled back in a bun.

"Please take a seat and he'll be with you shortly.", the receptionist replied.

After a while, a tall man in a neatly pressed suit approached them. "Vanessa Bender?", he asked.

"Yes?", Vanessa answered.

"I'm Malcolm St Germain, I understand that you're interested in becoming a model."

"That's right", Vanessa said.

"Would you like to come into my office and we'll have a chat about it?"

"Is it okay if my boyfriend comes in too?"

"I don't see why not"

Joe and Vanessa followed Malcolm St Germain through a door into a large and modern looking office. The desk was glass and gleaming steel, the latest model of a popular PC stood ready to work.

As they sat down on one side of the desk, Joe studied Malcolm St Germain. The talent agency boss had closely cropped gray hair and his amber eyes seemed to take every detail of both Joe and Vanessa's faces in.

"So, Miss Bender, why do you want to be a model?", Malcolm St Germain asked, leaning back in his black leather chair.

"I'd like to save up for college while having a job that can fit around my schedule.", Vanessa explained. "My mom runs a business out of her home and I need to be free to help her when it gets busy."

"Well, that sounds like you could fit right in to this agency.", Malcolm St Germain said. "I'll need you to take these forms and fill them in. Since you're under eighteen, I'll need your mother's signature."

"Can I ask a question?", Joe asked.

"I hope that it's that you want to sign with us", Malcolm St Germain joked.

"How well is this agency doing?", Joe asked

"We're doing pretty well.", Malcolm St Germain replied. "Of course, Bayport isn't New York but there's quite a few opportunities here."

"But what about other agencies?", Joe persisted. "Van looked at others here in Bayport. Like Bees' Knees Talent, for instance."

"Bees' Knees aren't a problem.", Malcolm St Germain said. "If you want my professional opinion, they won't be in business much longer."

Interesting, Joe thought. Was Malcolm St Germain so confident about Bees' Knees failure because he was the mastermind behind the sabotage? Or was he just trying to dissuade a potential client from signing with another agency?

"But Bees' Knees must be cutting into the amount of jobs you can offer your clients?", Joe pressed. He had to learn how much Malcolm St Germain saw the rival agency as a threat.

"I told you. Bees' Knees are not a problem.", Malcolm St Germain replied. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have other business to attend to."

Joe couldn't afford to take it further without endangering Nancy and Bess' covers. "That's all I wanted to know", he said.

"Why don't you make another appointment when you've filled out those forms and gotten your mother's signature.", Malcolm St Germain said to Vanessa. "And bring _her_ next time", he added.

###

Later that evening, the Hardys and Callie were back at Ocean Heights, Callie thought she had left something behind when she had worked at Beary Wonderful earlier that day. The three of them were talking about the beach party they had planned later that week.

"It should be a blast", Joe said. "Everybody called to say they could make it. Even Tony isn't working that evening."

"It should be great",Callie said. But then her attention seemed to be caught by something about the store.

"What's up?", Frank asked.

"That's odd.", Callie said. "The store's closed but the outside light is off. Dotty's always reminding us to turn it on whenever we close up. She says that you never know if a bear lover is going to be eating at Ocean Heights that night."

"If something's not right, we'd better check it out.", Joe said.

The three of them approached the store and Callie tried the door. "Now I'm really worried", she said. "Dotty would never turn the sign to closed and not lock the door and she's the one closing up tonight."

"Callie, maybe it's better if you wait here.", Joe suggested.

Absolutely no way that's happening", Callie said. "Dotty might need our help."

"It's okay", Frank said. "But if I tell you to run then you run, you're going to be no help to Dotty if you're hurt or worse."

The three teens entered the store. The entire place was dark, in contrast to the store's playful and warm mood when it was open. The shadowed faces of the dolls looked especially eerie.

"This isn't good", Callie said. "Dotty usually greets anyone who comes in the store."

As the three of them moved to the back of the store, Frank switched on his pocket flashlight in order to get a look at things under a better light. As he shone the bright white light upward, his beam caught the glass of the display case.

The doors stood wide open and although the sky blue cloth was still there, there was nothing else there."

"The bears!", Callie cried out. "Someone's stolen the bears!"


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys and am making no money off this story. Thanks for the support and as ever all comments including constructive criticism are welcomed.

Frank sprang into action. "Callie, turn on the store lights and get Dotty on the phone", he said. "Joe

we'd better check in back."

"Right", Joe said.

As Callie turned on the lights, Ingrid walked in the door. Her smile turned into an expression of shock and horror. "They took all the bears?", she asked.

"Every last one", Callie confirmed. "Even the Happy Birthday Bear,"

"Ingrid, you'd better stay here with Callie while Joe and I search the back.", Frank said.

Frank led the way through the curtain behind the display case. At first he stood in the doorway, shining his flashlight around. The beam caught a brass panel with three light switches on it. Frank pressed one of them and a room to his left lit up.

"That looks like a storeroom.", Joe said.

"We'd better check it out", Frank suggested.

As the two brothers entered the storeroom, Frank kept his flashlight out instead of slipping it back in his pocket although he did keep it switched off.

Frank and Joe searched the room, peering into corners and looking behind boxes. As they continued to find nothing, Frank grew more concerned. Where was Dotty?

"No clues here", Joe said. "Let's check the other room."

"Okay, but we'd better be careful", Frank warned. "The thief could still be hiding back there."

The brothers wound their way back through piles of boxes and trash bags toward the corridor, careful not to make any loud noise.

Frank paused at the end of the passage and pushed open the closed door. At first he saw an empty office but then a flash of color caught his eye. As he looked closer, Frank realised to his horror that it was Dotty, slumped on the floor in front of the desk.

In a second, both Frank and Joe were at the store owner's side. "She doesn't seem to have any injuries.", Frank said, as he examined her.

"Do you smell something sweet?". Joe asked, sniffing the air.

"Now that you mention it, I do.", Frank said. "In fact it smells like-"

"Chloroform", Joe finished the thought.

The sickly sweet odor seemed to come from around Dotty's mouth and nose. "Whoever did this probably chloroformed her and then stole the bears.", Frank said.

"Frank, I can't get Dotty on the phone...",Callie's voice trailed off as she entered the room. "What happened?", she asked, concern filling her voice.

"Callie, I need you to call nine one one and then stay with Dotty. Joe and I are going to take a closer look at the display case."

"Right", Callie said.

The brothers walked back into the front of the store. "Did you find anything?", Ingrid asked, a hopeful tone in her voice.

"Dotty's in the office.", Joe answered. "Someone knocked her out with chloroform."

"Ingrid, can you join Callie in the back office?", Frank said. "It will probably help Dotty a lot if two familiar faces are the first things she sees when she comes to."

Frank and Joe knelt down in front of the display case in order to get a closer look at any evidence that might be there.

The small, silver padlock lay open on the floor. The panes of glass in the display case door were still intact.

"I'm going to take a closer look at that lock, see if it was picked.", Joe said.

"Be careful not to leave fingerprints on it.", Frank warned.

"No sweat", Joe took a pencil from the pocket of his jeans. He hooked the top of the lock and held it up to examine the underside.

"Well, it doesn't look like it was picked.", he reported. "No scratches around the lock opening, but that doesn't mean much."

"Right", Frank said. "Keys to this type of lock are a dime a dozen."

The brothers went back into the office. Dotty was sitting against the wall, head in her hands. Callie was crouched down by Dotty's side with her hand on the older woman's shoulder. Ingrid was perched nervously on the edge of the desk.

"Paramedics and police are on their way.", Callie reported.

"Is it true?, Dotty asked in a small voice. "Are my bears gone?"

"I'm afraid so", Frank said, crouching down on Dotty's other side. "Can you tell me what happened? Anything that you can remember could be helpful."

Dotty tipped her head back. "I remember that I was about to use the phone to call Ingrid. Larry got caught in traffic and didn't manage to get to Ardmore today. That was about five o'clock.

"Five o'clock?", Frank echoed. "Are you sure?"

"Yes", Dotty said. I've lost my watch so I've had to rely on the cuckoo clock in the store and just before I went to call Ingrid, I remember hearing five cuckoos."

"And after that?", Frank asked.

"I was just about to pick up the phone when I smelled something sweet. The next thing I knew I was on the floor with you girls kneeling next to me."

"That's great, Mrs Baldwin-"

"Please call me Dotty."

"That's great, Dotty. All that info should really help the police. I'm just going to check on something else.

Frank went back to the front of the store and looked at the clock. It showed six-thirty. "Yep, that's the right time.", he said, looking at his watch.

Just then, two uniformed police officers entered the store, Frank was relieved to see that one of them was Con Riley, the brothers' best contact in the Bayport force. The other one was a female officer that Frank didn't recognise.

"Why am I not surprised to see you here, Frank?", Riley said with a wry tone. "Is your partner in crime here?"

"Joe's in the back office with Dotty Baldwin, the store owner.", Frank replied. "Callie and Ingrid Jennings, the other store employee, are also back there."

Just then the front door of the store burst open and a gray-haired and bearded man rushed in. "I saw the cop cars out front.", he said. Upon noticing the open display case his face showed an expression of shock and anger. "Did you have anything to do with this?", he snarled, lunging at Frank.

"Let's not jump to conclusions.", Riley said, putting himself between Frank and the stranger. "Can I have your name and see some ID, please?"

"My name is Larry O'Keefe. I do deliveries for Mrs Baldwin.", the man said, pulling his drivers license out of his coat pocket and handing it to the officer. As he did so, Frank studied the man. He was tall, about an inch or so higher than Frank's own six foot one height, and his well developed muscles spoke of a man used to physical work.

"That all checks out.", Con Riley said, handing the license back. The police officer then turned to Frank, "Is there anywhere we could speak privately?"

Frank led Riley to the storeroom while the other officer started taking photos of the empty display case. "I need to know everything that happened here, Frank. And I mean everything."

Frank filled Riley in on everything that happened, including what happened in the parking lot last night. Just then the other officer came to the storeroom door. "The EMT's are here", she reported.

"Tell them the patient's in the back office, Tori", Riley answered. "And send the other three who are in there out into the front of the store. I need to talk to Mrs Baldwin in private once the EMT's are finished."

After she had gone, Riley turned to Frank. "I need you to wait in the front of the store with the others."

"Right", Frank walked back to the front of the store. Larry O'Keefe was still there.

"Listen, I'm sorry about what happened earlier.", the bearded man said. "I just saw you standing there with a cop and I jumped to a conclusion that I shouldn't've. It's just that Mrs Baldwin offered me a second chance when I got laid off from the security company."

"No problem",Frank said. "I'm Frank Hardy."

"I know that name. Aren't you Callie's sweetheart."

"That'd be correct", Frank replied.

Just then the three others emerged from the back of the store. "Dotty's perked up a bit.", Callie said. "Though she's still having a tough time with her bears being stolen."

Frank turned to Ingrid,"I told the cops about last night."

"Why did you do that? I told you it was nothing", Ingrid said.

"Wrong", Joe said. "Now it's a potential lead."

Ingrid said nothing further but removed one of the giant bears from its chair in a display and sat down.

As time passed and Callie and Larry tried to make small talk with each other, Frank couldn't help looking toward the glass display case which the female officer was now dusting for fingerprints. Although he suspected she wouldn't find any.

Eventually, Con Riley appeared and beckoned Frank and Joe into the storeroom. "How much do you know about Dotty Baldwin?", he asked.

"Not much ", Frank replied. "We just met her yesterday. Callie's the one who really knows her. Why do you ask?"

Con sighed. "I have to tell you boys, it doesn't look good. If you asked me right now? I'd say that she stole her own bears."


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys and am making no money off this fic. Thanks to Highflyer who commented on the last chapter. I'm glad it's making you feel like you're reading a Hardy Boys paperback. My aim is to keep to the spirit of the classic SuperMysteries as much as possible. Any other comments including constructive criticism are always welcomed.

"Stole her own bears?", Joe echoed, he just couldn't believe the kindly shop owner could be behind the crime.

"I'm afraid it looks that way", Con Riley said. "There were no signs of forced entry, the alarm system was turned off and the lock on the display case wasn't picked."

"A professional thief could disable the alarm as well as figure out when there was likely to be only one person in the store.", Frank said.

"True, but those bears are pretty distinctive. It'd be hard to shift them on the black market plus they are insured for a tidy sum.", Officer Riley said.

"Why are you telling us this?", Frank asked.

"I need you two as well as Callie to keep your eyes and ears open and make sure you tell me if Mrs Baldwin does anything suspicious."

"We'll do that, Con.",Frank promised.

"Good, I've got to get back and file my report. Make sure you keep me in the loop."

After the police officer had left, Frank and Joe joined the others in the back office. "What did Con Riley want to talk to you about?", Callie asked.

Frank felt that Dotty deserved to know the truth, "He thinks Dotty might have been involved in the theft."

"No way!", Callie said.

The fact that she was a suspect had obviously not crossed Dotty's mind before then. "And why does he think that?", she asked.

"Mainly the fact that the alarm system was disabled plus a number of other things", Joe replied.

"And do you think he's right?", Callie asked Frank.

"I can see why he might think that.", Frank replied. "There are a number of things that point to an inside job but there's too much that can be chalked up to a professional thief. Or anyone else who managed to find a buyer."

"So you'll take the case?", Callie asked.

"We'll do it. But you know that we can't cover anything up. "

"Of course I wouldn't expect you to, dears.", Dotty broke in.

"Good", Frank said.

"Well, you can rule me out right away.", Larry said. "I was on the road all afternoon."

"Where were you around five?",Joe asked.

"I was picking up some stock from a warehouse in Kirkland.", Larry replied. "The manager there can back me up."

"We'll have to check that out, you understand.", Frank said.

"But right now I'm starving.", Joe said.

"Why don't you guys come back to my place", Callie suggested. "I was planning to fix some cheese omelettes tonight but my mom left way too much in the fridge for just me."

"That sounds like a plan.", Frank said.

"Great", Callie said. "Why don't you come too, Ingrid. You said your parents are away and there are a couple of really great girls staying at my place for the week."

"That sounds great", Ingrid said. "I was getting tired of microwave meals for one."

###

A short time later, Nancy, Callie, Frank, Joe, Bess and Ingrid were clustered around the table in the Shaws' warm and inviting kitchen. Frank was telling Nancy and Bess what happened while Callie cracked eggs into a bowl.

"I think you're right, Frank. There are just too many unanswered questions for it to be Dotty.", Nancy said.

"But we can't rule her out completely yet", Frank commented.

"Enough talk about the theft.", Ingrid said. "What are you two girls doing in Bayport?", she asked.

Nancy explained why she and Bess were in Bayport then asked Ingrid not to tell anyone else the true reason they were there.

"So what's your next step?", Joe asked, as he and Ingrid set the table."

"Tomorrow, Bess and I are booked on a modelling job at Albermarle's.", Nancy explained.

"You're modelling for Albermarle's", Callie exclaimed.

"Yep, we're going to be part of their holiday campaign.", Bess said.

"So, you'll be doing that tomorrow. Joe and I are taking a drive over to Kirkland to verify someone's alibi. We'll probably stop by Totally Toys in Ardmore to consult another expert on antique teddy bears, We really don't know as much as we need to for this case."

"I just thought of something", Callie said. "Could Arnold Smythe be involved in the theft?"

"That's certainly worth checking out.", Frank said. "Someone like him would probably have the best chance of knowing where to sell the bears on or acting as the middleman for a collector."

"Enough shop talk for one day", Callie said. "Let's eat"

###

That night, Nancy lay in her bed in Callie's guest room. Although she knew she should be getting her sleep to be fresh for her modelling assignment tomorrow, her mind raced with questions about both her and the Hardys' cases. Were Helen Irvin and Cassie Oliver involved in a conspiracy to destroy Bees' Knees Talent? Did Malcolm St Germain have a mole on the inside? And what was the significance of the man in the parking lot outside Beary Wonderful? Could he have been casing the store? These questions still in her mind, Nancy eventually drifted off to sleep.

Some time later, the young sleuth was awoken by a soft noise. Nancy listened in the dark, trying to decide what the sound was. Suddenly she knew. It was footsteps.

"Bess", she whispered. "Are you awake?"

"I am now", came a slightly annoyed response from the other side of the double bed.

"There's someone out there.', Nancy whispered back. "Stay here, I'm going to check it out" Cautiously, she opened the bedroom door and called out,"Hello, who's there?"

As Nancy's eyes adjusted to the gloom, she could make out a figure dressed in dark clothing. The person didn't answer her but instead turned away and ran down the hall.

Silently, Nancy gave chase. She didn't know what the intruder had come for but she wasn't about to let them get away. At the bottom of the stairs the figure turned into the lounge.

At first when Nancy entered the room, she could see no sign of the intruder. But then she felt a blow on the side of her head from something. Nancy started to turn round to face her attacker but before she could, she caught another blow to the side of her head and everything went black.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Nancy Drew or The Hardy Boys and am making no money off this. Well, Happy New Year! I hope to continue to bring you entertainment in 2019 and improve my writing.

And as always all comments including constructive criticism continue to be welcomed

The world came back to Nancy with a jolt of pain. Opening her eyes, she saw Bess and Callie hovering over her. The two girls were kneeling either side of her.

"What happened?" Callie asked. "We heard a thump upstairs and when we came down, we found you out cold on the floor."

Nancy told them what happened.

"Are you okay?" Bess asked, the concern evident in her voice.

"I'm fine," Nancy answered. "I'm going to take a look around and see what clues our night visitor may have left behind."

She got to her feet and started walking around the living room. The first thing that drew her eye was the poker lying on the carpet and the fact that one was clearly missing from beside the fireplace.

"Callie, why don't you and Bess check the rest of the house?" Nancy said. "You'll have a better chance of spotting if anything's missing than I will."

After a quick trip upstairs to put on her robe and some tennis shoes, Nancy hurried outside. She stood on the Shaws' front lawn inspecting the soil in the flowerbeds. Suddenly, she spotted a pattern of hexagons impressed into the soil. It looked like part of the footprint that Frank had shown her a couple of days before.

Nancy headed back inside and found Callie and Bess standing in the living room. "I don't get it," Callie said. "Nothing's missing and we have some pretty valuable stuff. My mom's got some antique china and we just got a state of the art DVD player. Why would anyone go to all this trouble and then not take anything?"

"I think I know what they might have been after," Nancy said. She told the other two what she had discovered outside. "I think whoever it was might have been after your bear, Callie."

"But why would anyone want my bear? Especially if they already have the original Happy Birthday Bear?" Callie asked.

"I don't know," Nancy answered. "But I'm letting Frank and Joe know about it first thing in the morning."

###

"So, what do you make of what happened at Callie's last night?" Joe asked Frank as they drove to Kirkland the next morning.

"It doesn't make any sense," Frank replied.

"Yeah," Joe said. "Why try and swipe a two hundred and fifty dollar copy when you've got the fifteen thousand dollar original?"

Eventually, the brothers pulled up to the address Larry O'Keefe had given them. The warehouse was a grey, long, low building with a loading dock at the far end.

The brothers entered the building and found themselves in a brightly lit reception area. A college aged guy sat behind a desk.

"Can I help you?" the guy asked.

"Yes you can," Frank answered. "We're after information on whether a particular shipment was picked up yesterday at around five pm."

"I may be able to do that. Who should I say is asking?"

"Frank and Joe Hardy."

"Let me just make a call and see if anyone's available to speak with you."

After a while an older muscular man entered the room. "You Fenton Hardy's boys?" he asked.

"That's us," Frank answered.

"About ten years ago, your dad helped break up a major cargo theft ring. That saved me from going bankrupt. I wasn't your dad's client at the time so I never got to pay him back. But now I can. What do you need?"

"We need to know if Larry O'Keefe picked up the shipment for Beary Wonderful and when," Frank replied.

"I should be able to do that. Just give me a couple of minutes." He made a call on his cellphone and after speaking to the other person for a few minutes hung up. "O'Keefe picked the shipment up at ten to five," he reported to Frank.

"Ten to five?" Frank echoed. "You're sure?"

"My manager remembers because O'Keefe asked the time. Claimed that he had to finish up by six pm."

"That checks out with what he told us," Joe commented. "Bayport's about half an hour away. There's no way he could have gotten back in time to pull off the theft."

"Well, I gotta get back to work. I hope that was helpful."

"It was," Frank said.

The two brothers stepped back outside. Almost immediately Frank noticed that their van was lower to the ground than it should be. "Something's up," he said.

"Do you need me to hang back?" Joe asked.

"I don't think so."

Frank and Joe inched toward the van. As they got closer, Frank realized, to his horror, that all four tyres had been slashed.

"I'll take care of getting hold of a tow truck and finding someone to give us a ride home," Joe said.

"I'll see if whoever did this dropped anything that might give us some clue to who they are," Frank said. He began to walk in a slow circle around the van, alert for even the smallest clue to the vandal's identity.

It didn't take long for Frank to spot a small white square tucked under the van's wipers. "Looks like someone left us a message," he remarked.

"Tow truck's on its way and Vanessa's coming to get us as soon as she's done helping her mom," Joe reported, joining his brother.

Meanwhile, Frank had lifted one of the wipers and slid the square of paper out from under it. He unfolded it and held it out so Joe could read it.

The note was in blue ink and read: STOP SNOOPING OR ELSE! THIS IS YOUR ONLY WARNING!

"Well, someone clearly doesn't believe in beating around the bush," Joe remarked.

"There's one thing that we know now," Frank said.

"What's that?" Joe asked.

"Whoever the culprit is, they're either one of the people who know we're looking into this or learned about it from one of those people."

###

"Wow, this place looks just like Jowell's back in River Heights!" Bess said as she and Nancy stepped inside Albermarle's department store.

Nancy agreed. Even though Albermarle's didn't look exactly like the department store in their home town, it had the same air of old fashioned elegance and charm.

Helen Irvin came up to them. "Kerry and I are here to make sure that everything goes without a hitch. The agency's had some teething problems so we're here as a precaution."

They were walking through the grand entrance hall when Nancy thought she saw Angela but when she looked again the young woman had melted into the crowd.

The group took the elevator up to the second floor. "We're headed for Wave," Helen Irwin said.

Wave turned out to be a separate department for high school and college kids. The décor was sleek and modern and a hit R n' B song filled the air. The place had a fun vibe to it.

"Nancy Drew?" the person who had spoken was an efficient looking young woman in a blue business suit.

"I'm Nancy Drew and this is Bess Marvin."

"My name is Ms Ball," the young woman said. She had black hair swept into a professional bun. "I'll be co-ordinating everything today. If both of you would like to step into the changing rooms and put on the outfits labelled number one and we can get started.

After changing, Nancy couldn't help admiring herself in the mirror. The green velvet party dress she had on really suited her and Bess' gold minidress also looked stunning.

"We're going to take a few pictures of you two on the mezzanine balcony," Ms Ball explained. "We're going for the effect of the two of you attending a party at some grand estate."

"Sounds great," Bess said.

After having their hair and make-up done, Nancy and Bess followed Ms Ball back down to the first floor and up a double staircase to the mezzanine. There on the balcony, a small corner had been decorated to look like it was the holidays.

The two girls were introduced to the photographer, a young woman wearing a baseball cap. "If you girls would lean against the balcony looking out. Try to look as if you're at a great party and have just stopped to catch your breath," she instructed.

For the next hour, Nancy concentrated on doing a good job as a model. Eventually she and Bess were allowed to take a half hour break. Bess went to the store's cafe to grab a snack for both of them while Nancy took a walk around the mezzanine. Pausing a moment to admire the store's architecture, Nancy leaned her elbows on the polished wood top of the balcony railing.

Suddenly, Nancy felt someone give her a hard shove. She grabbed at the railing trying to keep her balance but her assailant gave her another push and she toppled over the railing towards the marble floor of the entrance hall below.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or The Hardy Boys and am making no money off this fic.

Thanks to Candylou and angelicalkiss for the reviews and as ever any comments including constructive criticism are welcome

As Nancy plummeted toward the ground, she clawed at the air searching for a handhold. Her hand briefly caught hold of something before her fingers slipped free and she was once again falling.

"Nancy! Grab hold!"

Nancy looked up and saw Helen Irvin reaching out towards her. She reached for the older woman's hand and managed to grab it.

"Just hold on, Nancy. Kerry's gone to get help. Everything's going to be okay."

With the older woman's grasp supporting her, Nancy managed to find a handhold on the gleaming steel railing.

"How are you holding up, Nancy? Helen Irvin asked. "Can you hold on much longer?"

"I'm not sure," Nancy admitted. Already she could feel her grip on the railing loosening. She forced herself to remain calm. Panicking would do her no good.

Kerry Hunt's worried face appeared. "Help is on the way,"she reported. "They're getting one of the tall platforms that they use to decorate the store during the holidays."

"I hope they get here quick." Helen said. "I don't know how much longer I can keep this up."

On hearing this, Nancy tightened her grip on the railing. If Helen's grip failed, she would at least keep herself from falling.

"Where's that platform?" Helen Irvin said, the strain evident in her voice.

Nancy's arms felt like they were being pulled out of their sockets. She doubted that she could hold on much longer.

Just then Nancy heard a faint rumbling and clattering. The sound seemed to be coming toward them.

"Is that the platform?" Kerry Hunt asked.

"Let's hope it is," Helen Irvin answered, the tension showing in her face.

Just when Nancy thought that she couldn't hold on a minute longer, a strange looking steel tower on wheels trundled into view. Two men were pushing it.

"It's almost here," Kerry Hunt said, hope in her voice.

The tower's progress towards them seemed to take an eternity. Eventually the two men succeeded in manoeuvring the tower to just beneath Nancy.

"Can you let go?" one of the two men called up to Nancy, "and we'll try and catch you.

Nancy loosened her grip and let go. She landed with a crash.

"Are you okay?" one of the men asked as he helped Nancy to her feet.

"I'm fine," Nancy assured him but as she climbed down the tower she inwardly winced from the pain.

As Nancy finished her descent, Bess rushed up, concern all over her face. "Are you okay?" she asked hurriedly. "You looked like you landed pretty hard."

"I'm okay," Nancy reassured her, "just a few bruises." But as the crowd which had watched her rescue dispersed, Nancy lowered her voice and told Bess what had happened.

"This is getting serious, Nance," Bess whispered back. "Do you think we should get the police involved?"

"We'll see what Tim wants to do," Nancy answered.

Just then Helen Irvin and Kerry Hunt joined the two girls. "Are you alright, Nancy?", Helen Irvin asked.

"I'm fine," Nancy replied. "Nothing that a nice long hot soak in a tub won't fix."

"I'm glad you're alright," Helen Irvin continued, "but you should know that modelling isn't all glitz and glamor. Sometimes it can be quite risky. If you wanted to go back to Illinois, I'm sure Tim would understand."

"Thank you for the advice," Nancy replied, "I'm going to take a little break before we get back to work."

Nancy and Bess returned to the mezzanine. They walked to the spot where Nancy had been pushed over the railing and both of them searched for anything her attacker might have left behind.

"Nothing here," Bess said, a short while later, "how about you, Nance?"

"I didn't find anything, either," Nancy replied. "I just need to make a couple of phone calls, before we go back to work."

###

"Thanks for helping us out, Callie," Frank said, from the front passenger seat of Callie's green subcompact.

"Yeah," Joe agreed, from the back seat, "we would have been sunk if you hadn't agreed to drive us to Ardmore."

"No problem," Callie replied as she turned off the freeway, "I'll do anything I can to help clear Dotty's name."

"What do you know about Arnold Smythe, anyway?", Joe asked as they drove past Ardmore's public library.

"I don't really know him that well," Callie admitted. "He's come to the store to see Dotty a couple of times and she's been over to Ardmore a few times but I've never gone with her."

"So how do we play this?" Joe asked, leaning back in his seat. "Do we go with the dumb kids angle or do we make like we know more than we actually do?"

"Let's wait until we get there and then work out the best approach," Frank replied. "We really don't know what will work until we have a better handle on the situation."

Callie pulled off the main street and into a smaller side street. She drew up opposite a small store with its windows framed with polished dark wood. A gold-painted sign in the shape of a small teddy bear hung above the door which was of the same polished dark wood that was around the windows.

"Well, here we are," Callie said, while manoeuvring the car into a parking space outside the store,"Totally Toys."

As soon as Callie turned off the engine, she unhooked her seatbelt, got out of the car and raced around to the trunk. She popped the trunk lid and lifted out the replica Happy Birthday Bear. "I thought bringing this along might be helpful," she explained.

"That's a good idea," Frank said, "it'll give us a reason to talk to Mr Smythe."

As the three teens entered the store, a small bell jingled and a small man appeared from behind a green fabric curtain in the back of the store. He wore a striped wool sweater and gray flannel trousers.

"Can I help you?" he asked. His voice had a pleasant, mellow quality to it.

"Are you Arnold Smythe?" Frank asked.

"That's me," the man replied. With his dark round eyes and large ears, he looked a little like a teddy bear himself. Suddenly his eyes widened in recognition, "You're Callie Shaw, aren't you? From Beary Wonderful?"

"Yep," Callie answered.

"Dotty told me about the burglary," Arnold Smythe continued, "she also mentioned that a couple of boys were helping to get her bears back."

Frank and Joe exchanged a worried glance. How many more people knew that they were investigating?

"I'll be honest with you, Mr Smythe," Frank said,"your name has come up as someone who might be able to sell the stolen bears on."

"It's true that I could find a buyer for them if I had to," Arnold Smythe admitted," but those bears are quite distinctive and the toy and doll collecting community is very close knit around here. Everyone probably already knows that Dotty's bears have been stolen."

"So there'd be little chance of offloading them in the area?" Joe asked.

"That's right," Arnold Smythe replied.

"There's one other thing we need to know," Frank said, "how to tell the difference between an antique bear and a modern replica."

"There are lots of subtle differences but there's one easy way to check. Does anyone have a modern replica bear?"

"I do." Callie answered, producing the replica Happy Birthday bear.

"Feel its eyes," Arnold Smythe instructed.

Frank ran his finger under the bear's eyes, "hey, they feel kinda warm."

Arnold Smythe unlocked a nearby cabinet and took out a smaller gray bear, "now this is a bear from nineteen- thirty one. Feel under its eyes."

Frank repeated the action with the smaller bear, he was surprised at how much cooler the eyes of this bear felt. "Why do the eyes feel so different?"

"The eyes of this bear are made of glass," the store owner explained. "Due to modern safety laws, the eyes of all bears made today, even those made for the collector's market, are required to be made of plastic."

"While we're here," Callie said, "I'd like to look around a little more."

"Of course, just give me a shout if you need anything."

While Callie inspected a shelf of bears, Frank and Joe roamed around the store, looking for anything that might be a clue.  
Frank was examining a corner of the store when he heard Callie let out a loud, surprised gasp. He raced toward the sound.

Callie was standing in front of a dolls' house that was on a table in the center of the store. She was pointing at something inside. "In the kitchen," she said, a note of disbelief in her voice.

As Joe came rushing up, Frank peered into the kitchen. Inside, positioned at the miniature stove was a small white bear wearing a tiny calico apron.

"That's one of Dotty's bears!", Callie declared.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own Nancy Drew or The Hardy Boys and am making no money off of this fic. Thanks to Candylou and sm2003495 for the reviews and as always any comments including constructive criticism continue to be welcomed

"It's one of Dotty's stolen bears," Callie repeated.

"Not so loud," Frank warned. He stole a quick glance over his shoulder. Arnold Smythe was now talking on the phone and appeared not to have heard them. "Are you sure?" he asked hurriedly.

"Positive," Callie replied. "Dotty showed the bear to me once. It's a Steiff three and a half inch white mohair bear, those are very rare. But what really gives it away is the apron."

"Why the apron?" Joe asked.

"Dotty made that apron for the bear, back when she was in fourth grade," Callie explained.

Frank took one last glance at Arnold Smythe and then gestured to the others to leave the store. Once they were outside, they walked a few feet down the street.

"So what do we do now? We can't exactly go back in there and start interrogating the guy," Joe said.

"I'm going to call Con Riley and give him a quick update on what we've found," Frank replied. "I'll also try to get a clearer idea of what the police have found out."

While Joe and Callie went back to the car, Frank took out his phone and dialled Riley's number.

"Any news, Frank?" Riley answered.

Frank told the officer what they had discovered.

"And you're sure this is one of the stolen bears?"

"Callie seems pretty sure. Of course she could still be mistaken. Any results yet from the crime scene?"

"We're still processing most of the prints from the store but both the display case and the padlock were wiped clean of any prints."

"That's good to know."

"You make sure that the two of you keep me in the loop with anything you find out, okay?"

"Will do, Con."

After Frank got back in the car, Callie drove off and headed for a local sandwich shop. She pulled into the parking lot before turning to Frank and asking,"So what did Con Riley say?"

After Frank had explained, Callie's face brightened, "Dotty would have no need to wipe her prints off of the display case. She's got to be innocent!"

"Not necessarily," Frank replied, "Any one of our suspects could have wiped the case clean to make it look like a professional thief was responsible."

Callie narrowed her eyes, "You sound like you think she did it."

"I'm just pointing out the same thing that the police will," Frank responded.

"Think what you want. I know Dotty didn't do it," Callie said and pulled out of the parking lot and headed for Bayport.

###

Meanwhile, Nancy and Bess had headed back to Bees' Knees Talent. Tim Poulter met them at the door. "I'm so glad you're okay," he said.

The three of them went into Tim's office, closing the door behind them. Once the door was shut, Tim looked at Nancy, "I'm starting to have second thoughts about letting you investigate any more. You could have been killed."

"That's why you need to let us stay on this case," Nancy said. "I have a hunch that whoever is behind this isn't going to stop until they've destroyed your business or even worse."

Tim sighed, "You're probably right. Have you found anything out, yet?"

Nancy told Tim all that she had learned.

"That's interesting," Tim replied but before he could say any more the phone on his desk rang. He picked up the receiver, "Bees' Knees Talent, Tim Poulter speaking. How may I help you?"

All of a sudden his expression changed to one of shock and anger, "Who is this?

Nancy pounced forward and hit the speakerphone button on the phone.

A tinny distorted voice filled the room,"Today was just a taste of what could happen to your clients if you don't close down the agency."

"Why are you doing this?", Tim asked, desperation clear in his voice.

"That's for me to know and you to find out," the voice sing-songed and hung up.

For a moment the office was silent, then Bess let out a long breath, "That was creepy."

"I just don't know why anyone would be doing this," Tim Poulter said. "What have I done that would make anyone target me like this?"

"I don't know but we'll find out," Nancy said.

The two girls said goodbye and then headed out to the parking lot. Nancy stopped when she saw someone trying their car door. It was a woman. She was wearing sunglasses and a large floppy hat and had long black hair.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Bess shouted.

The woman turned and looked at them for a fraction of a second before she took off running. Nancy sprinted after her with Bess close behind.

They rounded the corner of a building and entered the central plaza of Ocean Heights. The area was filled with shoppers. The woman darted into the crowd.  
At first, Nancy kept the woman in sight, winding her way through teens engrossed in their phones and skirting around groups of gray-haired elders.

Nancy had almost caught up to the woman when a stream of young mothers with strollers separated them. When Nancy's path cleared, the woman had disappeared.

"What was that about?" Bess asked, rushing up to Nancy.

"I wish I knew," Nancy replied, staring at the spot where the woman had vanished.

###

"Alright! Party Time!"Joe said as Callie drove through the entrance to Barmet Bay State Park.

"It'll be great to just hang out and not have to worry about the case for a while," Frank commented. "Chet and Tony should be there already, getting the food ready."

Callie followed the winding road to the beach, driving under white ash which cast dappled shadows on the road. The road exited the forest and snaked through an open grassy area with low lying scrub, finally cutting through wind-blown sand dunes. At last Callie pulled into a parking lot opposite an open stretch of sand.

"Time to get this show on the road," Callie said brightly.

Joe got out of the back seat and raced round to the car's trunk. He flipped open the trunk lid and heaved out a super large pack of soda and several family bags of tortilla chips.

"Hey, you're just in time," Chet Morton said, coming over to greet them. "Did you get the last few things?"

"Sure did," Joe answered, holding a bag of tortilla chips above his head.

"Great," Chet said, "I'm really looking forward to seeing Nancy again. She was great fun the last time she visited."

The group carried the provisions down to the beach. Frank set the bag of tortilla chips he was carrying on a picnic table near a black iron grill that was set into the ground. Callie started setting paper plates and bowls on the picnic table.

Two more cars drove up, Vanessa got out of one and Ingrid got out of the other. "Ingrid! You made it," Callie called.

"So this is Ingrid," Tony Prito said from the other side of the picnic table where he was filling paper plates with slices of cheese. "We' re not putting the burgers and hot dogs on the grill til everybody gets here but you can help yourselves to bread, cheese, pasta salad, chips and dip."

"And we've got plenty of soda," Joe added.

Frank filled his plate with some pasta salad before grabbing a can of soda and settling down on one of the beach chairs that had been set up. "Let's hope that the others get here soon before Joe finishes everything we brought!"

###

"I'm looking forward to meeting everyone," Bess said as she and Nancy drove through the entrance to the state park.

"It should be a great time," Nancy replied as she steered the car onto the road to the beach. "I really need Frank and Joe's input on what we've dug up so far."

"I thought this was supposed to be a break from the case," Bess reminded her friend.

The girls drove through the woods and soon arrived at the beach. Nancy pulled into the parking lot. "Looks like we're the last ones here," she said, looking at the group of teens clustered around the picnic table.

"Wow!", Bess said as they walked towards the group. "Who's Mr Tall, Blond and Super Handsome?"

Nancy laughed. Bess' guy-spotting radar could detect a cute guy from about a mile away. "That's Biff Hooper, one of Frank and Joe's friends. C'mon, I'll introduce you."

The two girls crossed the beach and headed toward the picnic table. As they approached, Frank got up from his seat. As he came towards them, Nancy noted how good his legs looked in his shorts then hurriedly pushed the thought down.

Come on Drew, she told herself. You've got a boyfriend, remember? Plus, his girlfriend is standing right there. His girlfriend who is letting you stay at her house for the week.

Instead she called Biff over and introduced him to Bess. "Hi," Bess said.

"Great to meet you," Biff replied.

As the two of them walked off together, Nancy joined the Hardys and asked how their case was going. After Joe had filled her in, Nancy asked "So what's your next move?"

"Joe and I are going to have a little look around Totally Toys when Mr Smythe isn't there," Frank answered. "What's been going on with you?"

As Nancy told them what had happened, Joe's eyes widened, "Do you think someone's on to you?"

"I don't think so," Nancy replied. "I think whoever it was targeted me as a client not me as a detective."

Suddenly Ingrid rushed up to them, her eyes wide, I just saw someone hiding in the dunes and I think they're spying on us!"


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or The Hardy Boys and am making no money off of this fic. Thanks to Candylou, angelicalkiss, Drumboy100, Guest, sm2003495, and Cherylann Rivers for the reviews. As always, any comments including constructive criticism continue to be welcome.

"Someone's spying on us?" Joe repeated.

Ingrid nodded, her eyes still wide.

"Where did you see them?" Frank asked.

Wordlessly, Ingrid raised her arm and pointed to a sand dune.

"We'll check it out, Ingrid. You should go back and join the others," Nancy said and she and the Hardys took off in the direction Ingrid had indicated.

The three teens spread out to cover more ground. Nancy climbed up one dune in order to see if she could spot the person that they were looking for but she couldn't see a trace of anyone who might be trying to conceal themselves.

"Nancy! Frank!" Joe's voice caught her attention. He was standing a few feet away from the dune where she was, alternately waving his arms and pointing to the ground.

Nancy clambered down the dune and rushed over to the spot where Joe stood, a satisfied gleam in his eyes. "Look what I found," he said.

Nancy looked where Joe was pointing and saw a large footprint, with the now familiar pattern of repeating hexagons, in the sand. "Look at how big that print is," she said, "the person who made it is probably pretty tall."

"Which rules out Arnold Smythe," Joe said, "in fact, the only one of our suspects who's tall enough to have made that print is Larry O'Keefe and he's got an alibi."

"That's assuming that whoever's behind the theft and the person who made this print are the same person," Frank pointed out, "for all we know, someone in league with one of our suspects could be watching us."

"Well, whoever it was, they're gone now," Nancy said.

###

When the three teens walked back out of the dunes, Joe saw Vanessa waiting for him. "Looks like Biff's found a date," she said, inclining her head towards where Biff and Bess were sitting together on a rainbow striped picnic blanket laid out on the sand. "They make a great couple, don't you think?" she continued.

"They do," Joe replied. He felt happy for both of them. Biff was a great guy and Bess was a great girl. Besides, he had Vanessa.

"It would be great if they had more opportunities to see each other," Vanessa commented.

"Are you suggesting that we double date?" Joe asked.

"I might be."

"That's a great idea. I can't think of a better thing to do with my favorite girl than matchmake two of my other favorite people."

Vanessa raised one eyebrow, "I didn't say anything about matchmaking."

"Call it what you want, it still sounds like something I want to do," Joe pulled Vanessa close to him before giving her a quick kiss. "Now let's get some of those burgers and dogs before the others finish them all off."

###

"Now, that was a picnic," Frank said, after they'd finished most of the food.

"It's not over yet," Chet said with a knowing gleam in his eyes. "I dropped by the store on my way here and picked up some cupcakes and cookies."

"And you didn't eat them all on the way here. That's a world first," Joe teased.

"If you'd like to take a look and see, I could use some help carrying them over from my car.

As Joe and Chet walked off towards the parking lot, Frank looked for Callie. She was sitting by herself at the edge of the gathering, looking out at the ocean.

"What's wrong?" he asked, sitting down beside her and putting his hand on her shoulder.

"I saw Nancy Drew checking you out when she first got here," Callie replied, "and then you ran off into the dunes with her."

"Yeah," Frank said, "and Joe came too. I would hardly have a private makeout session with any girl with my own brother watching."

"You and she could have sneaked off and found somewhere secluded," Callie said, pulling away from Frank.

"Ingrid thought she saw someone spying on us," Frank explained, "you can ask her about it."

"I will," Callie said, you can be sure of that. But right now, I'm in the mood for dessert."

Later, after dessert was finished, Vanessa, Nancy and Bess stayed behind to help clear up while Frank, Joe and Callie headed back to their car.

They had almost reached it when a glint of light on something shiny coming from the car caught Frank's eye. He stopped for a moment.

"What's up?" Joe asked.

"I just spotted something that wasn't there when we got out," Frank said, "I'm going to check it out."

"Do you want backup?" Joe asked.

"I think I can handle it," Frank said. He walked the last few feet towards the car but what he saw when he got there made him stop in disbelief.

A long- handled, thin bladed knife was stuck deep into the driver's seat. The knife passed through a piece of paper with something printed on it.

"Callie, I need you to unlock the car," Frank said. Callie got out her key and pressed a button on it, there was a click as the locks disengaged.

"What did you find?" Callie asked, walking up to the car as Frank opened the door. Her mouth dropped open as she saw the knife sticking out of the seat. "Who could have done this?"

"I don't know but I'm guessing our friend in the dunes was in on the plan," Frank said. "Did you leave your car keys in your purse?"

"I did but I only took my eyes off it for a few minutes at a time and I never noticed it missing."

"They wouldn't have needed to take your purse," Frank explained, "just your car keys. While we were looking for them, either they or an accomplice slipped the keys out of your purse, unlocked the car, planted the knife and note and then returned the keys without anyone suspecting a thing." He took the knife out of the seat and picked up the piece of paper to examine it, printed on it, in plain black type, were these words: WE KNOW YOU HAVE THE BEAR. WE'LL BE IN TOUCH.

###

The next morning, Nancy and Bess stopped by Bees' Knees Talent. After waving hello to Kerry Hunt, they sat down to wait for Tim Poulter.

Suddenly, the automatic doors slid open and Angela Sheridan made her entrance. She was carrying a large, slim, brown paper envelope. "I hear more than just your career took a tumble," she said to Nancy.

"It's funny you should mention that," Nancy said, "I thought I saw you at Albermarle's yesterday."

"You must have been mistaken because I wasn't anywhere near that store," Angela answered.

"What's in the envelope?" Bess asked.

"Only my brand new, professionally taken headshot."

Ralph Devall opened his office door, when he saw Nancy and Bess his face took on the expression of someone who has just smelt something unpleasant. Angela laid down the envelope on the reception desk and walked over to Ralph's office and joined him inside, closing the door behind her. After a while Tim Poulter appeared at his office door, Nancy and Bess walked over to join him. "What did you want to talk to me about?" he asked, once the three of them had entered his office and shut the door behind him.

"Do you know any women with long black hair?" Nancy asked.

"I don't know anyone like that, sorry. I've seen photos of Helen wearing a black wig but I don't know if she still has it. Is there anything else?"

"I need to see anything that you've got on Ralph, Angela and Helen."

"That should be-" Tim's reply was cut off by a half gasp, half scream.

Nancy raced out of the office, Bess and Tim right behind her. Angela was standing in the middle of the room, pointing at Helen who was stood at the empty reception desk holding the brown envelope. Beside her on the reception desk was a pile of torn-up shreds of a photo.

"She did it!" Angela screamed, " she ripped my headshot to pieces!"


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own Nancy Drew or The Hardy Boys and am making no money off of this fic. Thanks for all the reviews and apologies for the lack of updates, I was on a family visit. As ever, all comments including constructive criticism continue to be welcomed.

"She did it," Angela repeated.

"I didn't do anything," Helen stammered, "I just opened it up and the torn pieces fell out."

"You're lying," Angela shot back. "You just want all the good jobs to go to your clients." She took a step toward Helen.

"Alright, everybody," Tim said, "let's just take a moment to simmer down, okay?"

At last, Angela lowered her arm and seemed to calm down. Ralph Devall opened his office door and rushed out, "What are you going to do about this obvious attempt to sabotage Angela's career, Timothy?" he thundered.

"It won't happen again," Tim replied.

"Make sure that it doesn't," Ralph said and swept back into his office, Angela trailing along behind him.

"Are you okay?" Tim asked Helen.

"I'm fine," she answered, "just a little shaken up.

"Helen," Nancy said, "would you mind if I started clearing up?"

"Of course not," Helen answered, holding the envelope out towards Nancy. Nancy took it, then waited until Helen had disappeared into her office before starting to examine the envelope.

"Do you see anything?" Bess asked as Nancy turned the envelope over, looking for anything that might give her a clue to whoever had torn the photo.

"Unfortunately not," Nancy replied as she began gathering up the torn pieces of photo, "Tim, do you have any clear adhesive tape?"

"What do you need it for?" Tim asked.

"I once worked a case where there was a threatening message written on the back of a torn up photo," Nancy explained, as she picked up a few more torn scraps.

"I get it," Bess said as she crouched down to look for torn photo pieces on the floor, "you're going to tape the photo back together and see if there's a threat on the back."

"Right."

Soon, Nancy and Bess had collected all the photo fragments and carried them into Tim's office. "Now we start putting the puzzle pieces back together," Nancy said as both girls placed the torn fragments on Tim's desk.

After thirty minutes' careful work, Nancy managed to reassemble the photo. As she taped it back together, Nancy had to admit that the picture showed off Angela's best features.

Eventually, the work was finished. Nancy turned it over to see if there was anything written on the back. To her dismay, the back of the photo was blank.

"Well, it was worth trying," Bess commented.

"We'd better go see Helen now," Nancy said, "she'll be wondering why we're spending so long in your office, Tim."

"I'll get on those things you asked me to," Tim said, "is there anything else that you need me to do?"

"Can you talk to Kerry for me? Ask her if she saw anything unusual?"

"I can do that."

###

As Nancy and Bess opened the door and walked into her office, Helen looked up from her desk and smiled. "I just got a great job that I think will really suit you two," she said, "if the experience at Albermarle's didn't put you off."

"What's it for?" Bess asked.

"A local health club," Helen answered, "they just opened and need a killer first set of ads. I think you girls will be just the right fit."

"Sounds perfect for us," Bess said.

"Great," Helen said, "I'll make the call."

"Before you do that," Nancy said, "I'm curious about what happened out there in reception."

"I know I shouldn't have peeked," Helen replied, "but I just couldn't resist seeing what Angela's new headshot looked like."

"And you didn't see anyone else hanging around?"

"No, nobody."

After saying goodbye to Helen, the two girls walked outside. They had just reached their rental car when something caught Nancy's eye.

"Look over there," she whispered to Bess, "isn't that Cassie Oliver talking to Kerry?"

The two women were standing close together and seemed to be deep in conversation. "Stay here," Nancy whispered to Bess, "I'm going to try to get a little closer and see if I can hear what they're saying."

"Be careful," Bess whispered back.

Nancy moved carefully through the parking lot, alert for any soda cans or plastic bottle caps that could make a noise and give her away. She paused to browse in a shoe store window, giving the impression that she was just shopping.

Kerry and Cassie kept casting glances across the parking lot. They gave off the air of being concerned that someone would see them together. After a while, they got in their separate cars and drove out of the parking lot

Nancy returned to her rental car. She and Bess both got into the front. "What were they up to?" Bess asked as she slipped into the passenger seat.

"I don't know, Bess", Nancy answered, "but I'm going to find out."

###

Nancy sipped her ice-cream soda and watched Biff and Bess laughing together. Joe had called after she and Bess had left Ocean Heights to ask if they wanted to grab an ice cream with him and Vanessa. When she'd entered the ice cream parlor, Nancy hadn't been that surprised to see Biff sitting at the table with Joe and Vanessa.

"So, how's the case going?" Vanessa asked Nancy.

"It's still confusing," Nancy admitted. She told Vanessa everything that had happened that morning.

"It sounds like Helen or Kerry had the best opportunity to tear the photo," Vanessa said, "and either of them could be working with Cassie."

"That's true," Nancy replied, "but I can't rule Angela out entirely."

"I see what you mean," Vanessa said, "she and Ralph Devall could have planned this whole thing."

"Or Angela could be in league with Malcolm St. Germain," Nancy pointed out.

"You mean she could be sabotaging Bees' Knees in exchange for a spot on Top Flight's books," Vanessa said, "that would make a lot of sense, especially with the way he seemed so sure that Bees' Knees was going to fail."

"Right."

"Isn't this the cutest place you've ever seen?" Vanessa asked, suddenly changing the subject.

"It is," Nancy agreed, looking around at the white chairs with their green striped seat cushions, the booths with their green vinyl seats lining the blush-pink walls, "and good idea inviting me as well as Biff and Bess, makes it seem less like a double date."

"Actually, that was Joe's idea," Vanessa admitted.

"That doesn't surprise me," Nancy said, watching Joe attack his dish of Rocky Road with a satisfied smile on his face, although whether because he was enjoying the ice cream or because his plan seemed to be working, Nancy couldn't tell.

Eventually, everyone finished their treats and said goodbye. "We should get together again before you go back to River Heights," Biff said to Bess.

"We certainly should," Bess replied.

Nancy and Bess walked outside and across the parking lot to their rental car. "Hey, what's that?" Bess said, pointing to a white rectangle tucked under one of the windshield wipers.

"I don't know," Nancy replied, sliding the white rectangle out from under the wiper. It was an envelope with both their names typed on it.

"What do you think could be inside?" Bess asked.

"Let's find out," Nancy said. She opened the envelope and took out the two items inside. Bess gasped. One of the things was a page torn from a catalogue. It showed two teenage girls in swimsuits but the girls' heads were missing. The other thing in the envelope was a folded piece of paper. Nancy opened it up. On the paper, typed in bold, were the words:

THIS COULD HAPPEN TO YOU IF YOU DON'T QUIT BEES' KNEES TALENT!


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or The Hardy Boys. I hope you enjoy this chapter and as ever, all comments including constructive criticism continue to be welcomed.

Nancy stared at the torn catalogue page. Who could have done this? Whoever it was probably knew about her and Bess' latest booking. Helen definitely knew and Kerry probably did, but what about Ralph? She would have to check with Tim if there was any way that Ralph could get access to that information.

"Are you okay, Bess?" she asked.

Her friend seemed to have recovered from the shock. "I'm alright now. Just took me a couple of minutes to get over it."

"Good," Nancy said, slipping both torn page and typed threat into her purse, "we'd better have a look around Bees' Knees and see if we can trace where these came from."

"Do you think the stuff will still be there?" Bess asked, a note of doubt in her voice.

"I know it's a long shot," Nancy admitted, "but this case seems to be getting more serious by the day. We've got to chase down every lead, no matter how small."

"I suppose you're right," Bess replied.

###

Nancy pulled the car up to the talent agency and parked in the lot outside. She got out of the car and pushed the glass door to the agency's building open. Soon she and Bess were hurrying up the steps to Bees' Knees.

Tim Poulter was just coming out of his office when they arrived. "What's up, girls? Why the rush?"

"We need to talk," Nancy replied.

"Of course," Tim replied, "why don't we step into my office.

Once the three of them were inside the office, and Nancy had made sure that the door was closed, Tim turned to her, "what happened?"

"These were left on our car," Nancy answered, pulling both the catalogue page and threat out of her purse. She handed them to Tim.

He took the items and studied them, "This looks like the Albermarle's catalogue from this summer."

"That's what I was afraid of," Nancy said. "Does Ralph Devall have any access to info about our bookings?"

"He does," Tim replied. "All four of us have full access to anything on the agency's systems. I know it's not the most secure way to operate but it never seemed to pose a problem until now."

"In that case," Nancy said, "I need to get a look inside Ralph's office. Can you find some reason to call him into your office and stall him so I can do a quick search?"

"What excuse do you want me to give for calling him in here?" Tim asked.

"Just make something up," Nancy said, then she and Bess walked out of Tim's office.

They watched as Ralph exited his office and walked past them as he headed for Tim's office. He didn't greet either girl as he passed them.

Once the door had closed behind him, Nancy darted to his office door and slipped inside. She didn't know how long Tim would be able to stall him for so any search would have to be fast.

Her eyes roved around the room, looking for any hint that Ralph was involved in the sabotage. The paper in his printer looked similar to the paper the threat had been typed on but it was a common brand, available in millions of stores all over the country.

Nancy moved to the desk drawers. She pulled open one but found only pens, pencils and other assorted stationery items.

Closing the drawer, she then turned her attention to the one next to it. She found a small piece of paper with MSG: TFT and then a phone number scribbled on it.

Could that stand for Malcolm St Germain and Top Flight Talent? Why would Ralph have that number? Could both he and Angela be involved in the sabotage? Had Malcolm St Germain offered both of them something in exchange for making sure that Bees' Knees failed?

After slipping the piece of paper into her pocket, Nancy exited the office just as the door to Tim's office opened and Ralph emerged wearing a sour expression.

"Well if it isn't the agency's newest stars," he sneered.

"Hello, Mr Devall," Bess said.

"I wish I could say it was nice to see you girls," he replied, "now if you'll excuse me, I have some clients with actual talent to represent."

He barged past Nancy and disappeared into his office.

Bess waited until they were back in their car before asking, "So what did you find in there?" Her eyes widened as Nancy showed her the scrap of paper, "Do you think Ralph and Malcolm St Germain are in cahoots?"

"I wish I knew, Bess," Nancy admitted, "I wish I knew."

###

"Is this guy ever going to do anything?" Joe complained. He was sitting in the front passenger seat of the Hardys' van which was parked down the street from Totally Toys.

"Arnold Smythe is our only good lead so far," Frank explained, "we have to keep on him if we're going to make any headway in this case."

"I know," Joe said, "but I was hoping we'd catch him doing some sort of clandestine deal with some sort of shady character."

"He does have a legitimate business to run," Frank pointed out.

Joe crossed his arms and leant on the dashboard. He hated stakeouts. Sure, he knew that they were an important part of detective work but he was so bored by them. He much preferred the action part of solving a case.

Time passed and Joe dug into the snacks that the brothers had packed for the stakeout. Meanwhile, Frank kept a constant lookout for the slightest thing that stood out among the customers who entered and exited the store.

Joe was just reaching for a brownie when Frank nudged him. "Hey, isn't that Ingrid going into the store?"

Joe raised his head and watched the brown haired girl open the door to the store and vanish inside. "That's odd. Ardmore's an hour away from Bayport. Why would she drive all the way over here when Beary Wonderful's right there in town?"

"And where Dotty would probably let her work out some kind of payment plan," Frank added, "because those bears aren't cheap."

"Do you think Ingrid was in on the theft?" Joe asked, reaching for a can of soda.

"It's possible she provided Arnold Smythe with some inside info in exchange for some easy money," Frank said as he watched Ingrid reappear. She was carrying a paper bag with the toy store's name printed on it.

"Maybe she's getting that present for her aunt that she mentioned," Joe said.

"You're probably right," Frank said. "Now, pass me the snack bag before you inhale all the food!"

###

"Wow!" Bess said as she looked around, "I've never been inside a real animation studio before!"

Nancy nodded as she studied the various computers and other specialised equipment that had been set up inside Vanessa Bender's barn.

Vanessa had invited Nancy and Bess up to her farmhouse for dinner and a tour of her mother's animation studio. When they got to the house, the girls had been introduced to Andrea Bender, Vanessa's mother. Andrea was an older version of her daughter with the same ash-blonde hair and grey-blue eyes. Nancy liked her immediately.

Callie had come as well. "We'll make it a girls' evening," Vanessa said, "no guys allowed."

After the tour, Callie had gone out to her car and returned with the replica Happy Birthday bear.

"It's adorable," Bess said.

"Do you think you should have taken that bear out of the house?" Nancy asked. "With all that's happened so far?"

"I was bringing it up here to ask Vanessa if she wouldn't mind hiding it," Callie explained. "These old farms are so remote, most people don't even know they're up here."

After dinner, which was lasagna with garlic bread, the four girls watched a movie. Nancy was glad that she and Bess had gotten to spend some time with just Vanessa and Callie.

"I've just got to run out to my car for something," Callie said after the movie was over, "I'll be back in a minute."

Half an hour later, Callie still hadn't returned. "Something's not right," Nancy said, "I'm going to go out there and check."

"You're not going alone," Vanessa said. Bess nodded.

The three girls made their way outside. "Where should we start looking?" Bess asked.

"We'll start at Callie's car," Nancy answered, "since we know that's where she was headed."

They soon reached the green subcompact. Nancy approached it and peered inside. What she saw made her breath catch in her throat. Callie was lying on the back seat. Her eyes were closed and she wasn't moving.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew or The Hardy Boys and am making no money off of this fic. Well, this will probably be the last chapter of 2019 from me although I may post a one shot over the Christmas break. Thanks to Candylou and angelicalkiss for the reviews and as always comments including constructive criticism are welcomed.

Nancy flung open the door and moved to check Callie's breathing. She let out a sigh of relief as she saw the other girl's chest rising and falling in a regular rhythm. Just then, Nancy noticed a sickly sweet odor coming from Callie. At once, she recognised the smell of chloroform.

Vanessa and Bess rushed over. "Callie!" Vanessa cried out when she saw her friend lying motionless.

"She's alright," Nancy hurriedly assured her, "someone knocked her out with chloroform. Can you two get her into the house while I look for clues?"

As Bess and Vanessa carried Callie into the house, Nancy walked around the car, alert for even the slightest thing that might lead to the identity of Callie's attacker. Near the car, she spotted some marks in the dirt. They looked like drag marks. That probably meant only one person was involved. If there had been more than one, they would likely have carried Callie to the car.

Nancy walked back to the house, lost in thought. Who had attacked Callie? Was it the same person who had stolen the bears? And why had the person taken the extra time to put Callie in the car? It was probably to hide her but could there be another reason?

Nancy entered the living room to find Callie lying on a couch with an ice pack on her forehead. Vanessa, Bess and Andrea were clustered around her, concern evident on their faces.

"How's she doing?" Nancy asked as Callie began to stir.

"She's still kind of out of it," Bess said, "We thought the ice pack would help bring her round as well as helping with any headache she might have."

Callie moaned and her eyes fluttered open, "What happened?"

Nancy explained what had happened.

"Chloroform!" Callie exclaimed, "That's what Dotty was knocked out with!"

"Do you think it could be the same person who took the bears?" Vanessa asked.

"That's what I was wondering," Nancy replied, "Callie, do you remember what happened before you were knocked out?"

Callie put her hand to her head, "It's all kind of fuzzy. I was walking back to my car when I heard someone running up behind me. Before I could turn round to see who it was, something sweet smelling was put over my nose and mouth. The next thing I knew, I was here."

"Do you remember anything else?" Nancy prompted, "A sound? A smell? Any detail at all could provide a clue."

Callie shook her head, "No, sorry. I wish I could be of more help."

"You did great," Bess reassured her.

"I'm just glad you two are staying over right now," Callie said, "it looks like whoever is after the bear isn't going to stop."

###

The next morning, Nancy and Bess were sitting by the window in a coffee shop opposite Top Flight Talent. "So, what are we looking for?" Bess asked.

"I don't really know," Nancy admitted, "but with so much pointing toward Top Flight and Malcolm St. Germain, it's time to take a closer look."

"I get it," Bess said, "we just keep our eyes open for anything or anyone suspicious." She took a sip of her iced tea.

As she sipped her latte, Nancy kept a close watch on the entrance to the talent agency. It was clearly busy with a constant stream of both models and staff entering and exiting the building. Grey-haired men in suits and professional looking women in skirts shared the sidewalk with guys and girls in their teens and twenties who were dressed much more casually.

"Hey, isn't that the woman who tried to break into our car?" Bess asked.

Nancy looked where her friend was pointing. There, near the entrance to Top Flight Talent was the woman that she had chased through Ocean Heights. The woman was wearing the same floppy hat and sunglasses that she had worn on that occasion and seemed to be watching the flow of people intently.

"What's her game?" Bess asked.

"I don't know, Bess," Nancy admitted as she watched the woman make a call on her cellphone. There were so many pieces to this puzzle, she thought. And not all of them seemed to fit, either. Angela was up to something, no doubt. But was she involved in the sabotage? Was Malcolm St. Germain behind the whole thing or was Cassie Oliver responsible? Nancy felt like she was no closer to cracking the case than when she started.

"Do you think she's after the same thing we are?" Bess asked.

"I wish I knew, Bess," Nancy replied as she watched the woman finish her call and walk away, "I wish I knew."

###

"Wow! Look at this place," Bess exclaimed.

Standing in the parking lot of the health club, Nancy had to agree. The building was sleek and modern. Two wings, connected by a glass atrium, curved around to the front.

"I guess we'd better go inside and see what they want us to do," Bess said, walking toward the entrance.

Nancy followed her friend into the large atrium which was decorated in sky blue and sea green. Helen and Kerry were waiting for them, "So, you ready to do this thing?" Kerry asked.

"Absolutely," Bess said, "We're really looking forward to seeing the rest of the place."

"You won't be disappointed," Kerry said, "we've already had the full tour."

Nancy and Bess were then introduced to the same photographer that had been at Albermarle's. "It's great to work with you girls again," she said.

"Likewise," Nancy said.

The girls were then directed to the changing room where Nancy changed into a flattering one piece swimsuit in sky-blue while Bess was told to put on an eye-catching two piece in hot pink. After walking out on to the side of the pool, the girls were asked to sit on the edge and dangle their feet in the water.

Once the photographer was satisfied with the photos she had taken, Bess and Nancy were directed to change and go out to the tennis courts.

Over the next few hours, it seemed that the session covered every inch of the health club. Nancy and Bess were photographed playing tennis, working out in the gym and even taking an aerobics class. They had a massage and ate lunch in the club's restaurant and posed in the atrium.

"Who knew relaxing could be such hard work," Bess said, after the atrium shoot.

"You said it," Nancy agreed.

"If you girls want to take some time to wind down, there are hot tubs in the spa," Kerry suggested.

After changing back into their swimwear, the two girls headed down to the spa. They soon found the hot tubs which were in their own room that had a glass door.

Nancy pushed open the door and a burst of heat and steam rushed out. Both girls entered the room and stepped into one of the hot tubs, closing the door behind them.

"This is the perfect end to a shoot," Bess said as they lazed in the foaming waters.

"It is," Nancy replied, enjoying the water jets' massage.

For a while, both girls were silent as they let the bubbles do their work. Eventually Bess got up, "I'm going to get a drink of water," she said, "Wanna come?"

"No thanks," Nancy replied.

Bess walked over to the door and gave the handle a tug, "Hey, the door's stuck." She gave the handle a harder pull. Still the door didn't budge.

Nancy got up and headed for the door. She wiped away the condensation on the glass. To her horror, Nancy saw that a long broom was wedged through the handle, stopping the door from opening. "Bess," she said, "Someone's trapped us in here."


End file.
